Engineering Design Graphic Journal (ASEE - American Society for Engineering Education)
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Message from the Chair
No full textOne thing that remains a constant for those of us dealing with technology is change. From the time the computer was introduced into our classroom, we have been faced with continual change. The software companies continue to entice and amaze us with perpetual and almost yearly changes. Often we are caught in a bind. If we chose to not update to the newest software then we can't find textbooks for the older version and often our students are using the newest version on their home PCs. The hardware capabilities continue to escalate beyond anything we thought might be possible back in 1984. The amounts of electronic storage space on my hard drive and the RAM in my desk computer are almost mind-boggling. At Purdue University the Technical Graphics Department has had a name change to Computer Graphics. As I look back at my years at Purdue, I am constantly amazed at the changes that have happened since we purchased our first computer. Now, all of our labs are computerized and the students begin working on computers on day one. Mid-Year and Annual paper presentations have changed too. We have passed through the phases of debating the merits of computers and how to introduce and integrate them into our classrooms. We have discussed room set ups, hardware, and software. We started the journey with CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting) and have moved on to CAD and solid modeling. Many are looking at Web based learning, interactive multimedia, and virtual reality. The discussions now center on the methods and media of teaching rather than what hardware we have and how to place it in the classroom. Students are more savvy now too, or at least they think they are. Many, and in some cases most or all of our students have computers at home which have the latest software and hardware. The Internet has become a part of life for many of us. It has given us the opportunity to connect more quickly and easily than was ever possible with mail and phone. Student questions over email have become a way of life. Now instead of a late night phone call from a student in distress about a test the next day, I get frantic email which I can open and respond to on my own timetable. The major change in my life evolves around the process of packing up and moving lock stock and barrel to Arizona. When the 1999 fall semester opens up, I will be a faculty member at Arizona State University East in Mesa, Arizona. I will be leaving behind people, places, and many good memories as well as my snow shovel, winter coat, boots, and deicer. I have been at Purdue a long time so needless to say, this is a big change. I am looking forward to great things with the EDG Division, Arizona State, and life in the desert
Internet-based Simulation and Virtual World for Engineering Education
Get PDFIn this paper the use of an Internet-based structural simulation and a 3D virtual world to view structures for engineering education was investigated. The generic truss and frame structural simulation allows the user to construct a truss or frame structure, apply boundary conditions, and place forces to any joint over the Internet. The computational results are also visually presented. For trusses, both the displacement and member loads are displayed. Different colors are used to demonstrate the load level in each member. For frame structures, moment, shear and axial diagrams are constructed in addition to deflection curves. Finite element method is used to compute all results. Vector-based graphics are used for structure development and results presentation to reduce file size and downloading times. In addition to any general trusses or frames, a special case study of bridge construction was included in the simulation. The user can draw the bridge, analyze it, and animate a typical moving vehicle over the bridge. The user can also deposit the bridge into an Internet-based 3D virtual world, which provides a 'big picture' of the bridge. Assessment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the simulation. The results showed that the simulation was helpful in visualizing the computational results and reinforcing the understanding of the concepts of the truss and frame structures. To develop the simulation and the virtual world, Shockwave, VRML, ASP, SQL, and Perl were utilized together and programmed so that they communicate smoothly with each other. The simulation and 3D virtual world is open to the public at www.vcity.ou.edu. The structural analysis simulation is just one component at this virtual world design web-portal
Message from the Editor
No full textDear Members: First, I?d like to say what a pleasure it is to be serving at the new Editor of the Engineering Design Graphics Journal. It was the first professional journal that I subscribed to when I came to North Carolina State University in 1989 and it remains one of my most referenced. This journal represents the primary knowledge base of our Division. I recognize the importance of preserving and nurturing this reference. My goal as Editor is to continue the excellent work of the previous editors in having the Journal reflect all of the varied and exciting work being done in engineering and technical graphics education. My primary role will be to work with the Associate Editors to recruit the best review board and highest quality scholarship to the Journal. It will also be my responsibility to maintain the financial stability of the Journal. With assuming the role of Editor and moving the Journal operations to NC State, there has been a change in the team putting together the Journal. Ted Branoff, as Associate Editor, will be in charge of the peer review process for our articles. Alice Scales, will be the Associate Editor in charge of producing the Journal issues. Aaron Clark will be third Associate Editor in charge of advertising and helping to recruit authors. Kathy Holliday-Darr at Penn State-Erie is beginning the process of assuming the role of Circulation Manager. To this team will be a number of other staff and students at NC State contributing to the many chores required to get the Journal out. There is no question that it is a team effort to publish the Journal! Finally, I would like to recognize the superb job the previous editorial team at Purdue has done. Judy Birchman, Sue Miller, and Mary Sadowski have all been very generous with their time and talent as I?ve gotten up to speed here at NC State
Design Graphics in Idaho, A 1999 Industry and Academic Benchmark
Get PDFThis paper is based in part on a 1998-99 benchmark study of Idaho industries that either design and manufacture products, or design and construct facilities. It is also based in part on a concurrent study of engineering and technical graphics programs in Idaho. These studies were sponsored by an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant. Additionally, it is based on an independent, select national sampling of engineering, engineering technology, and technical graphics programs. The purpose of the EDA sponsored studies was to develop a strategy for improving the computer-integrated design and manufacturing infrastructure for the state;s industries and higher-education institutions. This paper focuses on those portions of the studies specifically relating to Engineering Design Graphics (EDG). It compares what is being taught in Idaho's colleges and universities to what is being done in the state's industries. Also, Idaho's academic programs are compared to a select national sampling of like programs. Idaho's economy, which has traditionally been agrarian based, is now in an era of rapid high technology growth. It's EDG education needs to respond to this change. A set of recommendations is made for adjusting Idaho's EDG programs to better accommodate changing industry needs and to better reflect national trends in EDG education
Engineering Design Graphics as a Communications Tool for Mechanical Design: A Broader View
No full textAmongst the many skills required of newly graduated engineers is the ability to clearly communicate their designs and engineering analyses using both verbal and graphical languages. The new ABET EC2000 criteria emphasize that students must have the ability to communicate effectively, (Engineering Accreditation Commission, 2001) but leave the interpretation of the outcomes that define effective communication to the individual programs. It is desirable for the students to learn these communication skills in the context of their specific disciplines; therefore, the trend has been towards integration of writing exercises through design and laboratory reports in the engineering courses in addition to their courses in the humanities component. Although much emphasis has been placed on the integration of both written reports and oral presentations into the core engineering curriculum, little has been said or done concerning the use of graphics as a communication medium. It has been said that graphics is the language of engineering (Bertoline, et al., 1995). Writing in the humanities does not depend heavily upon graphics. Mechanical design, in particular, requires extensive use of graphics, not only conventional orthographic drawings, but also sketches, solid models, graphical representations of various analyses and experiments, prototypes, and other graphical and physical models to communicate design concepts and outcomes effectively. This paper will present a review of the use of graphics tools by students in a sophomore level introductory mechanical design course and senior design projects with a focus on the use of graphical communication techniques and physical objects to develop and communicate design concepts
Message from the Editor
No full textDear Members: Our current issue contains three articles that represent the breadth of the work being done by its membership. Through a real-life, industrial application, Morales shows how geometry, mathematics, and design all come together in a project. Just as important, it also points out the necessary skills our students need once they graduate from school. Sun and Gramoll's article demonstrates how structural analysis of trusses can be simulated over the Internet through a Web interface. This application allows engineering design activities to occur in classrooms that do not have the resources for stand-alone tools with this type of functionality. Barr, Krueger, and colleagues continue their work on defining a modern engineering design graphics curriculum. This paper demonstrates both the value of graphics in engineering education and the importance of quality assessment techniques. Finally, the Oppenheimer award winner, Dennis Lieu, provides a written version of what was an outstanding presentation at the Division's Mid-year meeting. His paper provides a counterpoint to Morales' article in demonstrating how animation can be used in more traditional mechanical engineering applications. Congratulations goes out to one of our own, Ron Barr, who was recently elected President-elect of ASEE. The Engineering Design Graphics Division has a long history of being active in ASEE and providing leadership at the regional and national levels. Finally, I'd like to encourage all of the membership to consider submitting articles to the Journal. The quality of the Journal is only as good as the articles submitted to it. If you don't have an manuscript right now, maybe you have a colleague who would be interested in submitting (we welcome non-members, too!). Whatever you can do to encourage submissions would be of benefit to the entire Division
Message from the Editor
No full textDear Members: As we approach the 21st century, it's hard not to feel both excitement and apprehension. THe thought of new and improved technologies creates a sense of expectation. Many of us are still waiting for the "flying cars" we heard about when we were young. And yet, we have witnessed more changes in technology over the span of our careers than we could even have imagined. We come away from every conference and vendor show we attend with new ideas we want to explore and new books, equipment and software that we add to our "wish list." There is also a sense of apprehension as to how these changes will affect our lives and our profession. What new technologies can we expect? What can we do to keep current? How fast will we have to adapt to a new view of our discipline? Where can we find workshops and information on new techniques? For those of us who are members of the Engineering Design Graphics Division, we know that we can count on our colleagues in the division to share our excitement and alleviate our apprehension. THe division provides a forum for colleagues to share their expertise, their experiences and their opinions. This issue features a series of papers by a group of authors who do all of the above. Their papers explore the need for change in the next millennium as well as many of the newest technologies related to our profession. These papers were presented at the Mid-year meeting in Columbus in conjunction with a panel discussion. The success of the presentation encouraged them to submit their papers for publication with the hope that they could be published together. We hope that you will find this issue to be though provoking and a starting point for change
Message from the Editor
No full textDear Members: Maybe it's just that time of the semester, but IU find myself wondering if my students are acquriing the most important skill they will develop over their four years of college—the ability to learn on their own. As educators we walk a fine line between being supportive of our students and "spoon-feeding" them. I always feel better when a student comes to me with a problem started, right or wrong, because at least they have tried to apply the concepts I presented in lecture. When my students have a problem that they can't solve, I usually sit down with them and we work it through together. I try to get them started and then tell them what they need to do to complete the problem. I find that some just keep coming back for answers. If a student has a problem that I can't answer on the spot, I research it and get back to them. Having done this a few times lately, I find myself wondering why I'm doing the research instead of them. I teach a multimedia class and the scripting is always a challenge. When I have a problem, I check my book collection, I write trial scripts and check them out and I enjoy the satisfaction of solving the problem. I wonder why my students don't know how to do this. Some students seem unaware that there are resources available to help them, that their lecture notes contain information on how to solve the problem and that you don't have to take a course in order to learn something. The ability to learn on their own is the best education we can give our students. If you have been successful in nurturing this ability, share your techniques with the rest of us in the division. Email me, put it on the listserve or present a paper—it would be a great topic to cover in the Journal or discuss at a conference session! See you at the next meeting
Incorporating Rapid Prototyping Into the Engineering Design Curriculum
Get PDFThis article shows how rapid prototyping technology (RPT) can be successfully integrated into the drafting and design curriculum. RPT can add excitement and realism to the curriculum by transforming student;s 3-D CAD designs into 3-D working models in matter of hours. Students can use these prototypes to verify machine part design in terms of form, fit and limited functional testing. At Southwest Texas State University a Helisys Laminated Object Manufacturing rapid prototyping machine has been effectively incorporated into a sophomore level engineering design graphics course. In this paper the instructional modules that are used in this course are described. Additionally, a case study is presented to illustrate the culmination of the course: the creation of a working model of multiple part assembly through use of RPT
Assessing Student Outcomes in an Engineering Design and Graphics Course
Get PDFThe Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin has embarked on systemic educational reform throughout the curriculum. Called PROCEED, for Project-Centered Education, this curriculum reform is an attempt to bring real-world projects into the classroom that underscore the need to learn fundamental principles while adding excitement and relevance to the experience. The “Engineering Design and Graphics” course at the University of Texas is an integral part of PROCEED. This freshman course emphasizes the development of a 3-D geometric computer model and application of this digital database to all phases of the design process. The students make freehand sketches, build computer models, mate assemblies of parts, perform various analyses, create kinematics simulations, build rapid prototypes, and generate final design drawings. An assessment of student outcomes in the course was conducted in the Fall 2002 semester using a series of self-reported learning surveys. This paper depicts examples of class work that support these graphics learning activities and presents the results of these preliminary surveys, which universally showed a positive learning trend in the course